Air conditioning can make your home or office comfortable in the heat of the summer months, but it can also carry hidden dangers. If moisture builds up in the ducts of your air conditioning unit, it could lead to mold. The air rushing through the ducts can spread mold all over your home or office, leading to serious allergic reactions. You need to stop the mold before it becomes a big problem.
Mold can grow in air conditioners that haven’t been used for a while. Mold probably grew in the unit over the winter, and you didn’t notice it until this summer when you turned on the air conditioner. Read on for tips on how to get rid of mold in air conditioning ducts so you can get cool and better air quality back into your home.
Things Needed
- Mask
- Gloves
- Bleach
- Bucket
- Water
- Brush
- Sponge
- Plastic bag
Step 1
Wear a pair of gloves and a ventilation mask. Wear a long sleeve shirt and sturdy pants. Be prepared to throw them away once the mold is gone. Your outfit can capture some of the spores, preserving the mold. Do everything you can to help minimize your exposure to mold spores.
Step 2
Shut off your air conditioning unit and disconnect all electricity that runs to it. Examine your air conditioning ducts thoroughly to locate all the mold. Use this opportunity to locate any leaks or pools of moisture that might be the cause of the mold buildup.
If the moisture is a result of a leak, fix the leak. If the moisture is a result of regular condensation from the cooling process in your air conditioning unit, make plans to access that section of the air conditioning duct and dry it out on a regular basis.
Step 3
Mix one cup of chlorine bleach into a five-gallon bucket of water. Open up all the windows and doors in your home to properly ventilate the area. If you begin to feel lightheaded, exit the house until the dizziness passes.
Step 4
Scrub the mold with a stiff, bristled brush that has soaked in the chlorine and water solution. Some areas may be out of your reach, so use a stiff bristle brush with a long handle to reach those tough spots.
Step 5
Go over the areas you scrubbed with a sponge. The bristles will loosen the spores, but it’s the sponge that will pick them up. Rinse the sponge in bleach water often to kill spores and keep the sponge fresh.
Step 6
Drop the sponge, gloves, and bristle brush into a sealable plastic bag immediately after you finish cleaning. Change your clothes and throw the soiled ones into a sealable plastic bag as well. Put the bag into your outdoor trashcan and reassemble your air conditioning ducts. Dump the bleached water down your bathtub drain. Wash your bathtub thoroughly afterward.
Do not mix any other cleansers with your bleach water solution. If the extra cleansers contain ammonia, it will create a toxic gas that may seriously harm your health.
Mold removal costs from your AC ducts by a professional are around $1,000 and $5,000. Professionals will have tools that can get rid of all mold and mold spores in the air. If there isn’t a lot of mold in your AC, you might decide to do this project yourself. At your local home improvement store, you can buy all the cleaning tools and safety gear you need for less than $100.
If you are sensitive to mold, it is best to hire a professional to get rid of mold in air conditioning ducts. Cleaning it yourself could make you sick.
